Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Hoodia - Fad Or Real Weight Loss?

The ancient Hoodia gordonii plant is very interesting. It has been used for thousands of years but it is just beginning to catch on to the Western world. The huge media coverage has led to the flourishing industry of hoodia gordonii based products.

But before you rush off to purchase a hoodia supplement, you should understand first about what studies have shown so far with respect to hoodia gordonii for weight loss. Knowing these facts will help you navigate through hoodia product and purchase the best product to avoid the fake ones.

There are a variety of hoodia plants but only the hoodia gordonii class contains an active element that helps suppress your appetite. As the demand for hoodia products is far surpassing the supply, some sellers of hoodia are advertising their products as pure hoodia even though it might have been made from a different hoodia variety.

Many companies claim their hoodia extract can help you lose weight but the only thing that has been proven so far is the P57 molecule. The active ingredient P57 molecule in hoodia gordonii was isolated, it was licensed to a company named Phytopharm that conducted a study using it. It was found that morbidly obese people who used P57 ate on average of 1k less calories per day. Obviously, this is the reason why many people think hoodia for weight-loss is the new rescuer for the obese and people aiming to slim down.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that as long as the hoodia products are extracted from real hoodia gordonii, it should also contain the active ingredient in it.

Can hoodia slim you down? The answer is a big Yes! But only if you purchase the real product and avoid the false ones.